Victim Services Provider

Language Access Planning for Deaf People: A Toolkit

Research on victimization within the Deaf community suggests that Deaf individuals living in the United States have higher rates of domestic and sexual victimization than their hearing counterparts. Despite these …
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Language Access Planning for Deaf People: A Toolkit

Research on victimization within the Deaf community suggests that Deaf individuals living in the United States have higher rates of domestic and sexual victimization than their hearing counterparts. Despite these higher rates of domestic and sexual violence, Deaf survivors face barriers that prevent them from getting help. When Deaf survivors reach out for services and support and their needs are not met, their experience of trauma is compounded by the very systems and services that are intended to help. Communication and cultural barriers are built into these systems because they were not designed specifically to meet the needs of Deaf victims and survivors.

This site contains links to various resources that have been developed to provide victim service providers and allied professionals with a process and practical strategies to remove barriers that prevent Deaf victims and survivors from accessing services and create more accessible and culturally responsive services. These resources will aid organizations in their planning for language access for Deaf people. Integrating language access throughout all aspects of your organization is essential for ensuring your organization can effectively serve Deaf survivors, victims, family members, and other people impacted by violence.

The Fundamentals of Language Access

The Fundamentals of Language Access Webinar Slideshow

PowerPoint in English (PDF)

Working With Deaf Survivors

Working With Deaf Survivors Webinar Slideshow

PowerPoint in English (PDF)

Working With Sign Language Interpreters
Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering the Movement Around Self-Advocates

Nothing about us without us is a common phrase used in the disability rights movement to mean nothing should be created for a community without the meaningful participation of that …
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Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering the Movement Around Self-Advocates

Nothing about us without us is a common phrase used in the disability rights movement to mean nothing should be created for a community without the meaningful participation of that community. Self-advocates have been leaders in the disability rights movement for years and are increasingly expanding their work in the survivor advocacy field. They have the wisdom and life experience to know how to dismantle ableism and best support victims of crime with disabilities, if only we listen.

This webinar, aimed at survivor advocacy organization and disability service providers, will provide an overview of the participation of self-advocates at the intersection of violence and disability. The self-advocates on the panel will discuss the essential role self-advocate leaders must play if we want to end gender-based violence. Join us for this engaging conversation with Cindy Bentley, facilitated by Leah Green.

Activating Change
Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Black deaf survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence often have to navigate a web of barriers to accessing healing services: programs designed to respond to domestic and sexual violence, for …
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Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Black deaf survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence often have to navigate a web of barriers to accessing healing services: programs designed to respond to domestic and sexual violence, for instance, may not have the knowledge or resources to address the needs of Deaf survivors while Deaf programs may not have the knowledge or experience to address survivorship. However, the Deaf community has been working to address this gap in services by developing programs specifically at this intersection. This webinar featured one of those programs, DAWN, which was formed inn 1999 in the Washington metropolitan area and has been providing direct support services to women and their families in the Deaf community. Listen to a conversation between Roberta Eaton, DAWN’s Executive Director, and Raven Sutton, Senior Survivor Resource Specialist, as they discuss DAWN’s unique approach to meeting the needs of Black deaf survivors.
Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

When survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors engage with your victim service organization or disability program, they are necessarily engaging with the policies that guide the delivery of your services. …
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Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

When survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors engage with your victim service organization or disability program, they are necessarily engaging with the policies that guide the delivery of your services. Regardless of they type of organization, failure to account for the lived experiences of survivors with disabilities in your organizational polices results in delays in service provision, confusion among staff about what is allowed, safety concerns among survivors, the provision of inadequate or unsafe services, or the denial of services completely.

This two-part webinar series examined key policies that victim service and disability organizations should have in place to account for unique circumstances in the lives of survivors with disabilities, including personal care attendants, service animals and guardianship.
Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in support of survivors everywhere, we dedicated this month’s End Abuse of People with Disabilities webinar to lifting up promising practices for serving survivors …
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Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in support of survivors everywhere, we dedicated this month’s End Abuse of People with Disabilities webinar to lifting up promising practices for serving survivors with disabilities. The webinar featured a panel comprised of a survivor with a disability, a national expert, and a local advocate, this webinar explored the unique barriers that people with disabilities have to navigate when seeking healing and the strategies that advocates can employ to proactively remove those barriers. The panelists provided practical guidance from their own experience to help you ensure that survivors with disabilities feel respected and supported within your programs

Panelists, Cathy Saunders, Self-Advocate with Illinois Imagines, Cierra Olivia Thomas-Williams, Prevention Specialist at Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Heidi Sue LeBoeuf, Counseling Director at Pathways For Change and facilitator Sandra Harrell, Associate Director, Center on Victimization and Safety led this discussion.
Innovations at the Intersection: Centering Survivors with Disabilities in the Movement

Survivors with disabilities are experts in their own lived experiences, so they should guide our work to ensure services are accessible and responsive to their needs. To meaningfully work with survivors with …
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Innovations at the Intersection: Centering Survivors with Disabilities in the Movement

Survivors with disabilities are experts in their own lived experiences, so they should guide our work to ensure services are accessible and responsive to their needs. To meaningfully work with survivors with disabilities, you need to make sure everything you do is accessible and inclusive.

In this panel discussion, self-advocates from Washington, D.C. and Kansas who are working to address domestic and sexual violence against people with disabilities will share how their work empowers them as advocates and how they have partnered with their team members to play a meaningful leadership role.

In the session, you will learn strategies for decision-making and power-sharing, tips for ensuring cognitive and physical access, and ways to empower survivors with disabilities with the tools and support they need to be equal peers in the work to address domestic and sexual violence.
Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities

People with disabilities and Deaf people experience violent crime at three times the rate of people without disabilities, yet healing services and the legal system are often not accessible to …
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Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities

People with disabilities and Deaf people experience violent crime at three times the rate of people without disabilities, yet healing services and the legal system are often not accessible to them. There are a number of steps agencies can take to make their services more accessible and welcoming for survivors with disabilities and Deaf victims, including asking every victim if they need accommodations to participate in services or the legal system.

Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities lays out four simple steps for providing accommodations to survivors with disabilities, and includes sample language you can use when talking to survivors. It also outlines what your agency needs to have in place for staff to be able to provide accommodations as soon as survivors request them.

The toolkit includes:

Palm Card

The palm card outlines four steps for asking about and providing accommodations, as well as sample questions to ask. It is designed to be carried with you or displayed on your desk and used while working with survivors.

Quick Reference Guide

A companion to the palm cards, the quick reference guide contains detailed information on the four steps for asking about and providing accommodations, including additional recommended language to guide your conversation with victims.

Agency Readiness Guide

These short guides offer recommendations to ensure your agency is prepared to provide accommodations, including creating or revising an accommodations policy, budgeting for access, and building relationships with disability and Deaf service organizations.

Tip Sheet

The tip sheet offers examples of common accommodations survivors may request.

Poster

Designed to be displayed in your office, the poster communicates to people with disabilities your agency’s commitment to providing accommodations. – Downloadable poster coming soon.

Demonstration Video:

Asking about Accommodations: An Instructional Video for Victim Advocates

Vera Institute of Justice
Innovations at the Intersection: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault with a Survivor Support Packet

In our first Innovations at the Intersection webinar, we will highlight the Survivor Support Packet, a support guide for survivors of sexual assault with disabilities. If you are looking for …
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Innovations at the Intersection: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault with a Survivor Support Packet

In our first Innovations at the Intersection webinar, we will highlight the Survivor Support Packet, a support guide for survivors of sexual assault with disabilities. If you are looking for a tool to help you serve survivors with disabilities, the Survivor Support Packet, developed by and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in collaboration with the rest of the Mass Rights for Change team, may be what you are looking for! The Survivor Support Packet includes a list of a survivor’s rights following sexual assault, a community resource list, scripts to help survivors reach out for help, self-care exercises, and tips for people supporting survivors with disabilities.

In this interactive discussion, we will talk about the need that led to the Survivor Support Packet, how it could be valuable in your community, and how you can create a similar, customized resource by partnering with self-advocates. You will also learn some of the strategies used in the Survivor Support Packet that could be helpful in working with survivors with disabilities you serve.
Supporting Deaf & DeafBlind Survivors

Deaf people are 1.5-5 times more likely than hearing people to experience domestic and sexual violence. Despite being at greater risk, they face significant barriers to accessing victim services. Many …
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Supporting Deaf & DeafBlind Survivors

Deaf people are 1.5-5 times more likely than hearing people to experience domestic and sexual violence. Despite being at greater risk, they face significant barriers to accessing victim services. Many mainstream hearing programs want to serve Deaf survivors, but are often unaware of the unique experiences and cultural values of Deaf survivors and are not prepared to provide sign language interpretation.

The Vera Institute of Justice brought together some of the country’s leading experts in supporting Deaf and DeafBlind survivors to answer the field’s most pressing questions about how to support survivors from these communities and best practices for finding and working with qualified interpreters. We created a series of videos about Deaf and DeafBlind culture, best practices for working with Deaf and DeafBlind survivors, and how to find qualified interpreters. There is also a panel discussion highlighting key factors that contributed to a successful partnership between a hearing and Deaf organization.

This video series features five leaders in the Deaf and DeafBlind communities: Roberta Eaton and Najma Johnson with DAWN, Liam Esposito and Amber Hodson with DeafHope, and Raylene Lotz with the Vera Institute of Justice. The videos were filmed in American Sign Language and created by a Deaf video producer, Elizabeth Sorkin.

To make them more accessible for a hearing audience, voice over audio was added. Closed captions are also available.
Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors with disabilities who have immigrated to the United States face challenges in reporting victimization and receiving services. Language barriers, a lack of a support network in the United States, …
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Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors with disabilities who have immigrated to the United States face challenges in reporting victimization and receiving services. Language barriers, a lack of a support network in the United States, difficulties accessing services, and lack of knowledge of the criminal justice system or services available will pose barriers for immigrant survivors. When the survivor also has a disability, they face additional challenges to services and healing. This webinar reviews some best practices for service providers working with immigrant survivors with disabilities.

Vera Institute of Justice

Victim Services Provider

Language Access Planning for Deaf People: A Toolkit

Language Access Planning for Deaf People: A Toolkit

The Fundamentals of Language Access

Working With Deaf Survivors

Working With Sign Language Interpreters

Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering the Movement Around Self-Advocates

Nothing About Us Without Us: Centering the Movement Around Self-Advocates

Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

Innovations at the Intersection: Centering Survivors with Disabilities in the Movement

Innovations at the Intersection: Centering Survivors with Disabilities in the Movement

Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities

Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities

The toolkit includes:

Palm Card

Quick Reference Guide

Agency Readiness Guide

Tip Sheet

Poster

Demonstration Video:

Innovations at the Intersection: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault with a Survivor Support Packet

Innovations at the Intersection: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault with a Survivor Support Packet

Supporting Deaf & DeafBlind Survivors

Supporting Deaf & DeafBlind Survivors

Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

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